Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus
Here is a picture of one of the Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus. This arch is in present-day Libya near the city of Tripoli. At the time this arch was built this area was the city of Leptis Magna in the ancient republic of Carthage. This arch was built in here because the roman emperor Septimius Severus was born in Leptis Magna
Septimius Severus was made a senator by the emperor Marcus Aurelius (the old man in the movie Gladiator) in 172. In 192 the emperor Commodus gave Severus command over the legions in Pannonia. When Pertinax (the successor of Commodus) was murdered Severus took power at the head of his troops. Septimius Severus was not the best leader that one might have hoped for. He ordered the execution of many senators and replaced them with his favorites and effectively turned Rome into a military dictatorship. That said he is credited with bringing a period of stability and eliminating the corruption of the time. However, that stability did not last long beyond his death.